1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication device such as a cellular phone comprising a GPS (Global Positioning System) function and a position search method that searches the current position of the mobile communication device and, more particularly to a mobile communication device and position search method that are capable of easily and rapidly issuing information to a destination with a different emergency report telephone number or mail address depending on the region by using a pattern matching function and which are capable of rapidly communicating the current position to the destination, in the case of an emergency report.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Japan, the emergency contact telephone number for the police is 110, for example. It is possible to call the police by dialing 110 from any location within Japan irrespective of whether a fixed line phone or cellular phone is used.
Furthermore, it is also possible for a disabled person to send a report to the police by electronic mail. However, in the case of electronic mail, the contact address is different for each area (for each administrative division of Japan, for example) Therefore, in the case of a mobile communication device such as a cellular phone, it is necessary to send mail to the mail address of the police having jurisdiction over the position in accordance with the current position.
Further, in order to specify the position of the cellular phone, the police receiving an emergency report from a cellular phone by phone or email specify the position of the cellular phone that issued the emergency report by phone or electronic mail by using a so-called third-party search function for searching for the position of the cellular phone of another person by using the GPS function.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2003-284125 discloses, in a position search control system comprising a mobile device with a constitution comprising a position detection function and an emergency button, and a center that is capable of communicating with the mobile device, a system that rejects a position search when same is not desired by the mobile device side but which enables a position search and emergency report in the event of a warning.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-218250 discloses a position information supply system that, in addition to calling a mobile device, performs a search for position information on the mobile device and supplies position information on the call mobile device to a pre-designated communication destination.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-320467 discloses a mobile communication device equipped with a dedicated button for issuing an emergency call.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-339536 discloses a system in which a position information sensor receives emergency information that is issued by a cellular mobile device that is owned by the person that issued the emergency information and the position information center detects the position where the person that issued the emergency is located by means of a GPS function on the basis of the emergency communication information that is issued by the cellular mobile device owned by the person that issued the emergency, and then transfers the location position information on the person that issued the emergency to the emergency communication destination.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2000-322678 discloses a cellular phone that comprises a main body with a 110 (for police in Japan) number button and a 119 (for fire station in Japan) number forming a pair which links to the police station and fire station as a result of these respective buttons being pressed and is capable to communicating the current position by means of a navigation function.
The Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2002-269660 discloses an emergency report system in which, upon issuing an emergency state of affairs, the reporting party mobile device sends an emergency report mail to the center by inputting a fixed message in the title and the center acquires current position information from the mobile body network with the telephone number of the mobile body mobile device serving as the key, selects the mail address of the police mobile device of the suitable jurisdiction, adds the current position of the reporting party mobile device to the header of the mail main text from the reporting party mobile device as well as information on the individual, and transfers a warning report to the police mobile device.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-045553 discloses a mobile communication device that is able to automatically register specified phone number information for the current region in which the user is located in a phone book in which telephone number information is registered such that same can be called, searches for the destination with the specified telephone from an index, and issues information to the specified telephone number.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2000-331146 discloses an image editing device that cuts the text image from the inputted image, extracts a text code array by identifying the text image, edits the inputted image along with the text code array, and displays the editing result of the image.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2002-357448 discloses a positioning device that displays map elements existing in a predetermined range from an acquired position as a list, displays map elements designated by the user from among regional elements displayed as a list in a display state that differs from that of other map elements on the map, and corrects the position designated by the user on the map to its own position.
However, current cellular phones (mobile communication devices) are confronted by the following problems. First, although, for an emergency report made over the telephone, the same telephone number is provided for the whole country as in the case of the emergency report telephone number (number 110) for the police, in the case of an emergency report via electronic mail, the mail address is different according to the police of the region. Therefore, although the emergency report mail address is different depending on the current position of the cellular phone, unless the user of the cellular phone is able to immediately acquire in an emergency the mail address of the police having jurisdiction over the user's own current position, there is the risk that the report will be delayed.
Secondly, in a case where the cellular phone comprises an international roaming function that makes it possible to use the cellular phone not only within Japan but also overseas, the emergency report telephone number for the police, for example, is different for each country. For example, this number is 110 in Japan but 911 in the U.S.A. Therefore, when the cellular phone is used overseas, the emergency report telephone number cannot be acquired immediately and there is the risk of a telephone emergency report being delayed. Emergency report mail addresses are also different for each country and also vary depending on the region of each country. Therefore, similarly, there is the problem that it is not possible to immediately acquire an emergency report electronic mail address.
Thirdly, upon receipt of an emergency report from a cellular phone, the police communicate the third party search request from the police to the cellular phone on the basis of the third party search function and the cellular phone accordingly starts the positioning of its own current position. However, where the current processing performance of the cellular phone is concerned, because the positioning of the current position takes time (approximately 30 seconds), there is the possibility that the positioning processing by the cellular phone will be interrupted as a result of the user consciously or unconsciously turning the power supply of the cellular phone off or the like en route, and there is the risk that the position cannot be specified.